Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-01-16

1
about the apartment, although tae
glare was carefully screened from the
| invalid's fee. ] stopped over The thin
face on the pillow and received flint
smile. / could not help remarting,
Glow light your room is wOnIs.
you cen sleep in suca hls-e."
"Nrs. Morrell likes il, was the Ian.
guild answer. "She always burns eight
candles like that all night ! don't
mind them. O, Alice dear, I am 50
tired Of lying here and I'm always 50
thirsty, 50 dreadlully thirsty Do give
me something to drink 4"
poured ont a tumblerful ola cooling
drink from n handsome red glass Jug on
the table near me- She drank il eager
~ and sank back on her pillow as Mrs
Morrell came into the room.
fancied that an angry CLEAN shot ~
me from under the widows black eye
brOws but, if 50, she smoOthcd away
her irritation before she addressed me
"Alice, my dear, it is most kind o.
You to be here but ] left my darling
/ girl, Gs hoped, to sleep. She smOre
likely to get good nights rest if she
is not disturbed by late visitors. Att
! 9 O'Clock, please, ] must request you
for the present, dear, not to come here
again.
/ apologizcd and said goodnight,
turning, however, at the door to ask If
Mrs. Morrell did not think so much
light might have a disturbing effect
upon the invalid.
"Now, my dear Miss Armita8e, that
is not like your usual common sense, 60
answered the widow sweetly. "Aboye
all things. plenty Of light is essential in
a sick-room, where medicines have 10
be accurately measured out, and wher-
at any moment the nurse may be sum
moned to her patients side. ] shoIld
be t,mbling over the furniture in the
dark if the candles were not kept burn
ing And now, my dear girl, must
really request that YOU 90; Edith is
nearly eslccp. Good-night.' 50 ran
down stairs, to be gently scoldcd 10y
MIR. Foster for my long absence
When a week went by and Edith
grew worse every day lbccamc serious
~ alarmed, and expressed my ma3I-
ness in a letter to Or. Archer, which
posted myself for fear Of accidents.
/ he sent me brief note by trusty
messenger III reply which did not tend
to allay my fears:
"Your account Of her symptoms was
most alarming. Iou say She is wasted
and PROSTATE, and suffers from pliulu
cramps and Unsuitable thirst. Thos.
are the symptoms Of Grsenical poison
ing. You must contriyc to secure por-
tions of al her food and medicine, and
bottle them securely and bring tA.m To-
me. BE i'll the fir plantation at
o'clock tomorrow TO meet ne it is q
matter OF life and death
You may imagine how terrified ]
WIS Int luckily J had nerve enough h.
hide il. I looked out all the small bot
tics | could find, washed them out care
fully, and determined 10 put them in
my pocket one nj time. to ill as occl-
SION should serve. At the same time ?
could hardly believe that Dr. ArcH..
Wis night IN his suspicious. ! believe.
| they cou'd not poison Edith without m.
| 5noWlodCe. / WIS in and out of tis
eic,-room alI day fromabo 10 o'cio'a
III the morning until ! was dismissoju
81 60 Dress for dinner, and at least lal
# her food and medicine administ D.
al with my own hands. The mtuic.n.
bottles ! frequently opened fresh froa
ir StcySnss Wrappnes, and it WIS
difficult TO imagine that poison coull
9ct into puddings and jcliics brought
straight from the Kitchen to the bedside
J could only conclude that at night
must occur Mrs. MoiTclls opportunity
If at all.
] felt like q coIQirator 2s | contriyed
TO sCcrctc small portions Of everything
Of which Edith plrtook. / secured the
last drops remaining Of thc coo.in
drink which Mrs. MoTcli had hll 60
administer TO the invalid during In.
night; also a portion Of tine farinaccou
pudding which Miss 1horniyke hat
had for her dinner, "a part Of her sleep
ing draught. and a wincghsstul OF tn.
mixture she WAS taking every two hours.
and some OF the bccf-tcG which DR..
Stevens had ordered for her. If poison
were really being administered it mus.
be present in one or the othcroi thcse
! / chiefly suspected the remains Of tin
cooling drink. was young and unso-
| phisticatCd, and my experience as O.
novel reader made me believe it quit
possible that Mrs. Norrcll should carr,
mall packets OF arsenic about in he
pocket TO mix in Edith's medicines am
food, as occasion should serve. / can
only smile mt my credulity now.
Ii was a difficult matter to meet DIR.
/ Archer in the fir plantation unobseryed
MIS-. Morell had first to be eyadcd,
and then Mr. Foster, who manifested %
most amiable and pressing desire to ac-
company me in my walk. l dared no.
/ Hnecr. but hastily thrust the Walls into
the young doctors hands, telling him Z
/ particularly suspected the cooling
/ drink. He informed me that he WIS
/ going to send them at once to an emf
| ucnt analyst at one OF the London hos
/ pitfalls, and that if they proved to cor
7 taiu poison he should instantly apply
/ 20 magistrate for a warrant.
could not control my feelings that
.ycning sufficiently well to prevent Mr..
| Foster rcmarking as he sat at chess
"Yom walk to-day did not do You
much GOOD, Miss Armitage.'
81 have rGthcra headache" ! hastily
answered. 1t was perfectly true. 81
sat with Edith all the morninr, ani h.
room seemed to me very stuily.' in
| Iced, ] had frequently nOticedastra
clcseness peryading it, especially when
first entered it in the morning; ana
/ very often found my head the wor3.
/ for prolonged sojoun III it.
GAS soon as pr. Stevens will allow
| t she shall be moved into Il larger
room," he answered, rs if he wished to
ovade a discussion of the subject
CHAPTER III.
Another week passed by, Edith
growing more and more PROSTATE each
day, and l was very anxious to hear